SERVE REGIONALLY

Aldersgate Enrichment Center

Aldersgate serves as an innovative Christian community for people with mental and physical disabilities, and various special needs and challenges. Aldersgate (AEC) is a faith-based non-profit organization in Early, Texas that provides vocational and residential services to adults with special needs. The program was originally established through the efforts of the United Methodist Men organization. If interested in this ministry, you can provide financial support for normal operations, facility and program needs. You can also volunteer at the facility for short-term projects to improve the facilities themselves.

Support and plan actions specific to Environmental justice and a healthy creation. Major goals include education, service projects and advocacy with public officials.

Passions and Skills Helpful: Communicating with our neighbors, learning and teaching about the concern regarding Climate Warming and water shortage in Texas. Working with other groups having same concerns, especially in local church, Interfaith and community activities.

Camp Sunshine is a New Mexico Conference camp for mentally challenged adults aged 16 to 60+. The mission team assists in providing a safe, loving, fun Christian environment where campers can be themselves leaving behind the stress of societal expectations. Takes place in August each year, in Sacramento, New Mexico.

The four main goals of Delta Grace are to repair homes, bring wholeness to a racially-divided community, build awareness to the needs of the Mississippi Delta region and serve as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ by sharing His love in all that we do. This ministry is located in Sunflower, Ms. The measurable outcomes will be reaching our objective of scheduling at least 600 missioners across the United States per year to impact at least 20 homes annually. We hope that through the influx of diverse missioners from every corner of our country, the racial division of the community might begin to heal and bring wholeness as people see each other as God's children, one family in faith. We also hope to bring awareness that the poverty level of this area and therefore the needs are greater than other areas often visited by mission teams such as the Appalachians or even other countries.

The UMCOR Sager Brown Depot is the headquarters for UMCOR's relief-supply operations. Each year, more than 2000 volunteers prepare about $4 million in supplies for shipment from this Baldwin, LA campus. Locally, Sager Brown reaches out to Baldwin neighbors through food distribution and housing rehabilitation projects, engaging volunteers in these projects that help families and the elderly. Volunteers have passion for helping others, especially those who have been involved in a disaster by verifying and assembling kits that are distributed throughout the world. They also help children worldwide by assembling school kits and layette kits. They use carpentry skills to help repair homes in the community. Various teams are assembled each year and travel to Baldwin, LA to dedicate their time and energy at the depot or in the community.

UMCOR Early Response Teams are trained individuals who fill a specific need in the early days after a disaster to clean out homes damaged as a result of a natural disaster. Persons are trained to remove debris, place tarps on homes, etc. thus to stabilize and prevent further damage, while providing caring facilitating techniques. Once the one day training is complete, one is placed on a contact list should there be a need for the formation of a team to be deployed to a specific location.

An UMCOR Early Response volunteer gives of oneself in aid of re-establishing the lives of victims of natural disasters. He or she applies wisdom or knowledge to any given situation during the ministry. Volunteers recognize the suffering of the victims of the disaster. They also provide leadership necessary to help accomplish the goals of the team.

Volunteers have a desire to assist survivors of a natural disaster without causing further harm or becoming a burden to the affected community. One must have the physical ability for debris removal, and the emotional ability to listen to and comfort victims through a Christian presence. This also requires the ability to often work within an unorganized structure as often occurs during the early days after a disaster.

Volunteers are contacted when a natural disaster occurs, damaging the homes and businesses of individuals in a specific area. The ministry will proceed once directed by the Bishop of the Central Texas Conference. This ministry could happen at any location affected by a natural disaster. Primary focus would be the confines of the Central Texas Conference but may be made to support other conference efforts.

United Methodist Men is to be a creative, supportive fellowship of men who seek to know Jesus Christ, to grow spiritually and to seek daily His will. They gather once a month throughout the year, beginning each meeting with a devotional for spiritual growth. Activity and discussion ranges from project-planning to evaluating how they will share God's grace through their efforts and gifts.